Previously previewed online, Nissan has now released another teaser of the upcoming Nissan Kicks, covered in cloth. This one, however, shows the outline of the production version. Not much can be seen from the teaser except for those V-shaped LED daytime running lights and the elaborate character line at the side.
Apart from the teaser, Nissan has announced that the vehicle will take on its role as the official car for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games. This essentially means that the Kicks will see an official unveiling on May 3, 2016, when the Rio Olympics torch relay across Brazil starts.
The Kicks concept is basically an evolution of the Nissan Extrem Concept vehicle, which debuted at the Sao Paulo Auto Show in 2012. The Kicks concept followed in 2014, designed by Nissan Design America in San Diego with input coming from Nissan Design America Rio, lead by Global Design Centre Nissan in Japan. The production version’s design is expected to stay very close to the concept.
As a concept, the compact crossover measured in at 4,300 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,600 mm tall. At its base, the Kicks is said to be sitting on the company’s V-platform, the same one that underpins the Nissan March/Micra, Nissan Sentra and Nissan Note. The production version will be offered with a 1.6 litre flex-fuel (petrol/ethanol) engine.
It is to be built at Nissan’s Resende Industrial Complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil alongside the March and Versa. That said, the first few units of the Kicks will reportedly be imported into Brazil from Mexico, before domestic production begins at some point in 2017.
Meanwhile, Nissan has mentioned that the Kicks could see a global introduction, but the company will need to study the business case before a decision can be made. If the case proves strong, the B-segment crossover will be a contender against the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Ford EcoSport, Peugeot 2008 and the incoming Toyota C-HR.
